Valuing geometric simplicity and economy of means, Bo Bardi designed the Poltrona Bowl Chair with a steel frame and a stackable seat containing two circular cushions. The shell on the metal ring can be adjusted in all directions to suit the desired position of the sitter. Bo Bardi, who emigrated from Italy to Brazil in 1946, played a lead role in advancing modernist architecture and design in postwar Brazil. Among the landmark buildings she designed was her São Paulo home, the Glass House (Casa de Vidro, 1951), which she furnished with Poltrona Bowl Chairs.

Gallery label from

Making Space: Women Artists and Postwar Abstraction, April 19 - August 13, 2017

Gallery label from Crafting Modernity: Design in Latin America, 1940–1980 (en español) , March 08, 2024 – September 22, 2024

El enfoque de Bo Bardi hacia el diseño y la arquitectura se centró en el concepto de “humanizar el arte”. Guiada por esta filosofía, concibió la silla Bowl de acuerdo con las proporciones del cuerpo humano. Cuenta con un marco de acero de cuatro patas y un asiento semiesférico, que permite al usuario ajustar su ángulo de reclinación. En 1953 el diseño de Bo Bardi ganó prominencia cuando apareció en la portada de la revista estadounidense Interiors, con la propia diseñadora como modelo. El artículo adjunto describía la silla como “parecida a un útero” y un “bol para acurrucarse”.

Gallery label from Crafting Modernity: Design in Latin America, 1940–1980 , March 08, 2024 – September 22, 2024

Bo Bardi’s approach to design and architecture was centered around the concept of “humanizing art.” Guided by this philosophy, she conceived the Bowl chair according to the proportions of the human body. It features a four-legged steel frame and semi-spherical seat, which allows the sitter to adjust their reclining angle. In 1953 Bo Bardi’s design gained prominence when it graced the cover of the US magazine Interiors, with the designer herself as the model. The accompanying article described the chair as “womb-like” and a “cuddle bowl.”

Medium Steel and fabric
Dimensions 21 5/8 × 33 1/16 × 33 1/16" (55 × 84 × 84 cm)
Credit Committee on Architecture and Design Funds
Object number 135.2016
Department Architecture & Design

Explore more

Lina Bo Bardi

Lina Bo Bardi

Brazilian, born Italy. 1914–1992 8 works online

Lina Bo Bardi’s contributions to modern architecture and design embrace popular culture, folk art, and crafts. Her far-ranging objects and spaces connect to the materials and rituals of daily life.

Learn more →
All works by Lina Bo Bardi →

Installation views

We have identified this work in the following photos from our exhibition history.

How we identified these works
In 2018–19, MoMA collaborated with Google Arts & Culture Lab on a project using machine learning to identify artworks in installation photos. That project has concluded, and works are now being identified by MoMA staff.

If you notice an error, please contact us at [email protected].
Licensing
To reproduce installation views, please contact Art Resource (publication in North America) or Scala Archives (publication in all other geographic locations). You will need to include the object identification number found in the caption.
Feedback
This record is a work in progress. If you have additional information or spotted an error, please send feedback to [email protected].

Licensing

Artwork or archival images

If you would like to reproduce an image of a work of art in MoMA's collection, or an image of a MoMA publication or archival material (including installation views, checklists, and press releases), please contact Art Resource (publication in North America) or Scala Archives (publication in all other geographic locations).

Audio and film clips

MoMA licenses archival audio and select out of copyright film clips from our film collection. At this time, MoMA produced video cannot be licensed by MoMA/Scala. All requests to license archival audio or out of copyright film clips should be addressed to Scala Archives at [email protected]. Motion picture film stills cannot be licensed by MoMA/Scala. For access to motion picture film stills for research purposes, please contact the Film Study Center at [email protected]. For more information about film loans and our Circulating Film and Video Library, please visit Circulating Film and Video Library.

Text from a publication or the archives

If you would like to reproduce text from a MoMA publication, please email [email protected]. If you would like to publish text from MoMA's archival materials, please fill out this permission form and send to [email protected].

Feedback

This record is a work in progress. If you have additional information or spotted an error, please fill out this feedback form.